Influencer Marketing Hub sets itself apart from conventional review platforms through the involvement of Digital Marketing experts such as Werner Geyser, Djanan Kasumovic, Camille Kennedy, Dave Eagle, and other notable industry figures. This expert team brings a profound understanding of the Digital Marketing landscape, assessing tools and platforms with an insider’s perspective on capabilities, experience, and industry acumen. Unlike user-generated review platforms, Influencer Marketing Hub’s evaluations are rooted in extensive firsthand experience and direct interactions with the tools and platforms in question. This ensures that the reviews are not only trustworthy but also deeply informed. High-caliber brands like NeoReach, The Goat Agency, and Audiencly undergo rigorous monthly evaluations, highlighting the platform’s commitment to identifying and showcasing top-tier solutions in Digital Marketing and beyond.
Influencer Marketing Hub has consistently been recognized by leading media outlets for our authoritative data, findings, and insights within the Digital Marketing landscape. Our platform is frequently cited as a trusted source of information, demonstrating the value and impact of our work in shaping industry standards and practices.
Influencer Marketing Hub employs an expert-driven methodology to evaluate Digital Marketing agencies, ensuring that our recommendations are both reliable and comprehensive. This approach is designed to help businesses and individuals find the best agencies to meet their specific Digital Marketing needs. Here’s how we assess the various agencies like NeoReach, The Goat Agency, and Audiencly:
People have been playing video games since the 1970s. However, things have moved on a long way since Nolan Bushnell invented Pong, becoming the father of video-gaming. Gaming is a multi-billion dollar industry. It’s projected to reach $312 billion in 2027, a significant increase compared to 2023’s $262 billion.
If you don’t market your games well it is easy for them to disappear and get lost in the crowd. For this reason, gaming marketing agencies can perform an invaluable service.
Some of the agencies here specialize in video-gaming (the names tend to give them away – what else would GameInfluencer or Game Marketing Genie do?) In other cases, we look at more general-purpose marketing agencies, that include gaming clients amongst their roster.
Top Gaming Marketing Agencies:
1. NeoReach
NeoReach is a digital marketing agency that offers various services, including influencer marketing and full-service production. It has been around since 2014, and it’s been helping brands find the best influencers for their marketing campaigns. The agency has an impressive client list that includes top gaming and tech brands like NVIDIA, World of Tanks, and FanDuel, showcasing its strong presence in gaming marketing.
NeoReach was founded by Jesse Leimgruber, a computer science alumnus from Stanford and Thiel Foundation Fellow, when he was just 19 years old. To date, the agency has raised $3.2 million and has helped more than 10,000 content creators earn total payouts exceeding $50 million. NeoReach has also been featured in a number of publications, including Search Engine Journal, The New York Times, and MarTech Today.
List of publications where NeoReach has been featured
Neoreach has a database of information on over 5 million influencers, which it can leverage to recommend the best influencers for promoting your video. Their network includes influencers who are popular in specific fields of gaming, such as Call of Duty or console gaming.
In 2018, NeoReach acquired micro-influencer platform Gnack. This highlights the agency’s focus on micro-influencer marketing, as well as NeoReach’s strategic transition to deliver large-scale and recurring management solutions.
Notably, NeoReach specializes in social media marketing on these networks:
- YouTube
- TikTok
- Discord
- Blog
- Snapchat
- Twitch
- Telegram
Among the agency’s successful campaigns is the work it did for World of Tanks. The first phase of the campaign focused on generating widespread national interest for World of Tanks. The overarching goal was to outperform the game’s Super Bowl ad.
To generate national interest, NeoReach scaled influencer content on YouTube. To meet specific customer acquisition cost objectives, the agency also needed to develop more effective and competitive creator content on YouTube. Lastly, the agency worked with their influencers to create out-of-the-box content.
Influencers selected for the World of Tanks campaign
For the campaign’s 2nd phase, NeoReach established a partnership with Demolition Ranch, a popular YouTube influencer, to boost awareness about the game through fun and authentic video content and World of Tanks coupon codes that viewers can use. This collaboration enabled World of Tanks to obtain over 100,000 new app installs and over 37 million video ad views. The campaign also resulted in a 40% reduction in CAC costs from YouTube.
Other Notable NeoReach Campaigns
The agency worked with NVIDIA to promote the brand’s new project releases. For this campaign, NeoReach collaborated with popular gaming influencer Syndicate, who livestreamed a giveaway. The livestream required viewers to follow @NvidiaShield. This also doubled as their entry to the giveaway.
This strategy helped @NvidiaShield grow its followers by 25,000 in less than a week. NeoReach also worked with tech blogger Austin Evans to capture audiences within and beyond the gaming community.
The campaign brought in significant results for NVIDIA:
- 48.3 million impressions
- 13.4 million total reach
- 258,000+ engagements
Aside from game marketing campaigns, NeoReach has also ventured into the online fantasy sports space with campaigns for FanDuel and DraftKings. Leveraging platforms like TikTok and YouTube, the agency teamed up with influencers like Matt Stonie and Ross Smith to create sponsored content.
Aside from popular influencers, the agency also activated a diverse range of creators for the DraftKings campaign, including dancers, comedians, firefighters, and more.
Both campaigns proved to be a huge success. The FanDuel campaign collected $1.8 billion in entry fees and had a 5:1 ROI, while still being 10x cheaper than previous multi-channel networks (MCN). Meanwhile, the DraftKings campaign saw a 1.83x increase in ROI. DraftKings also grew its TikTok following by 30,000, while enjoying more than 30 million views for #MakeItReign and #DraftKings content.
NeoReach
NeoReach creates world-class original influencer campaigns for leading brands and Global Fortune 500 companies. Founded in 2013 and managing over $250 million dollars in influencer spend to-date, their team is responsible for creating some of the mos...
50+
Los Angeles, San Francisco, Orlando, Tokyo
Best for:
Large Companies
NeoReach
NeoReach creates world-class original influencer campaigns for leading brands and Global Fortune 500 companies. Founded in 2013 and managing over $250 million dollars in influencer spend to-date, their team is responsible for creating some of the mos...
2. The Goat Agency
Leading the charge in the gaming industry for over eight years, Goat Agency stands as an award-winning pioneer in gaming and entertainment marketing, operating in over 70 countries and proficient in 28+ languages. Renowned for their game-changing campaigns for industry heavyweights like Deep Silver, EA, and more, Goat has transformed the landscape of gaming marketing.
Awards and Recognition
With a global team of 400+ social natives, Goat has developed and deployed over 2,000 campaigns. The agency has also published more than 100,000 social posts and has 60,000+ influencer metrics. For the second year running, Goat was shortlisted for the Social Media Agency category at the Campaign Global Agency Awards. Moreover, the agency received accolades from The Drum, LinkedIn, and Adweek.
In 2023, WPP acquired Goat Agency, merging it with INCA, WPP’s influencer marketing division. This acquisition highlights WPP’s move to create a truly global influencer marketing agency that operates in 30+ global markets.
- Influencer Marketing – Arla Cravendale
- Food & Drink – Kraken Rum
- Culture or Leisure – ODEON
- Social Media – ODEON
- Rising Star – Goat UK Campaign Manager Elle Kelley
Goat’s specialty lies in Social Media and Influencer Marketing in the gaming sector. Recognizing the gaming industry’s vast influence, particularly among males aged 18-34, Goat has successfully leveraged the power of gaming influencers across platforms like Twitch, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.
With approximately 60% of top creators partnering with brands, Goat’s expertise facilitates publishers’ reach to this somewhat untapped, hyper-engaged gaming community.
What sets Goat apart is its unique combination of a global reach with a centralized approach to marketing, guaranteed results & deliverables, and a deep-rooted connection with gaming influencers. They track every detail of campaigns to ensure a personalized marketing experience aligning brand values with targeted audiences’ core interests.
The award-winning gaming and entertainment marketing agency has been in the gaming space for nearly a decade. It has created effective campaigns for Football Manager and Crash, aside from big gaming industry names like EA.
Award-Winning Saints Row Campaign
Its influencer campaign for Deep Silver’s Saints Row helped build hype and awareness for the game’s re-release. Leveraging its influencer marketing, paid social, and social creative services, Goat executed a two-phase campaign.
For the first phase (pre-launch), Goat enlisted the help of six YouTube creators, asking them to produce varied content based on prompts like “hacking the UK singles charts with a Saints Row-themed song.”
The pre-launch campaign also entailed two meet-and-greet live events, which allowed fans to play the game alongside the YouTube creators.
For the game’s launch, Goat worked with 21 influencers in three territories (Australia, the UK, and the US). These creators were then asked to create their own gameplay content, which was published on major platforms like Twitch, YouTube, and TikTok.
Goat employed different creative strategies for each influencer, ensuring that the content stayed novel and engaging. For instance, one influencer was asked to create co-op gameplay content, while another highlighted the best part of the game or its in-game challenges.
Altogether, these two phases yielded significant results:
- 12.2 million impressions
- 15,000 clicks
- 9.2 million video views
Best of all, the campaign helped Saints Row attract more than a million players within the first three months of its re-release. It was also nominated at the 2023 Drum Awards for Marketing Americas under the Best Social Media category.
Need for Speed: Unbound Campaign
Aside from Saints Row, Goat also developed a campaign for EA’s Need for Speed: Unbound. Its goal was to drive widespread awareness for the game, alongside expanding consideration for the game beyond the gaming community.
For this campaign, the Goat Agency used content creators to spark conversations about the game across various online platforms. They achieved this through content drops that reflect the game’s different themes and elements.
To drive interest outside of the gaming community, Goat worked with content creators from the artistic community. The campaign also included influencers from car customization, fashion, and lifestyle niches. This part of the campaign operated on the principle that these diverse personalities had a niche but relevant audience for NFS: Unbound.
By working with creatives and artists across the US, the UK, and Europe, Goat’s campaign leveraged their unique art styles to bring NFS themes to life. Goat’s partnership with car enthusiasts in these territories added to the campaign’s engaging and immersive edge. Car enthusiasts were able to apply unique NFS designs to their vehicles, which, in turn, enabled them to create long-form video content.
During the campaign period (August-November 2022), 56 influencers participated in content drops. Ninety-three posts were distributed to TikTok and Instagram, while videos were published on YouTube and Instagram Stories. The Need for Speed: Unbound campaign resulted in:
- 28 million impressions delivered
- 14.48% average engagement rate
- 1.5 million total engagements
The Goat Agency
Goat is a global, award-winning social media and influencer marketing agency. We've worked with some of the world's most exciting brands including Dell, Nivea, Audi, Pernod Ricard, Deep Silver, The Body Shop, Mars, TurboTax and Wayfair, helping them ...
50+
London, New York, Singapore
Best for:
Medium and Large Brands
The Goat Agency
Goat is a global, award-winning social media and influencer marketing agency. We've worked with some of the world's most exciting brands including Dell, Nivea, Audi, Pernod Ricard, Deep Silver, The Body Shop, Mars, TurboTax and Wayfair, helping them ...
3. Audiencly
Audiencly connects leading brands with influencers from every industry; however, they have a particular focus on gaming. They aim to make influencer marketing easily accessible to any company. They offer influencer marketing for companies and influencer management services for influencers.
The agency works with over 10,000 influencers who have generated over 1.5 billion impressions as of writing. Audiencly’s influencers produce daily content on platforms like YouTube, Twitch, and Instagram. The agency has worked with 200+ clients, including Disney, Square Enix, EA, and Goat Games.
Audiencly offers its business clients a range of services. These include:
- Influencer Marketing
- Creator Program
- Creative and Strategy
- TikTok Marketing
- Exclusive Talents Management
Audiencly creates whole campaigns, from planning to implementation of the strategy and result evaluation. They (in conjunction with the influencers) design each advertisement individually for each client’s target group and product. The agency even takes care of all negotiations. As campaigns progress, selected influencers upload the finished campaign on YouTube or Twitch. The client will then have access to detailed campaign reports.
Audiencly also encourages successful gaming influencers to join their network. They help gamers make more money on YouTube, Twitch, or Instagram by producing videos for Audiencly sponsors to increase their earnings. They advise and help with the topics of copyright protection, licenses, CPM increase, and improving video ranking. Their creative team helps produce content. They help in all areas around graphic design, video editing, voice-over, animations, special effects, and much more.
What sets Audiencly apart is its integrated “cosmos.” The agency utilizes its strong partner network to develop and implement different types of online marketing campaigns. For example, Flexion is Audiencly’s partner in mobile app distribution and marketing. Meanwhile, Fanblast enables livestream interaction with audiences.
The Audiencly “cosmos”
Audiencly’s Gaming Creators
Audiencly works with a diverse range of creators across categories like game reviews, entertainment, anime, and more. The agency’s roster of gaming creators includes:
- Shoyoumomo – He has been creating content since 2014. His social media channels receive an average of 180,000 views.
- Pete the Wargamer – Specializing in wargaming kits and Warhammer painting guides, Pete the Wargamer’s YouTube channel receives an average of 70,000 views.
- Ziostorm – Ziostorm’s YouTube channel is all about Elden Ring and Dark Souls games. With over 120,000 subscribers, the channel gets 85,000 views on average.
- Socksfor1 – Socksfor1 creates diverse content, which includes gaming reactions. With over 5 million YouTube subscribers, he receives an average of 1.9 million views.
- MR. ILLUSTRATED – MR. ILLUSTRATED’s YouTube channel focuses on horror video games and art. As of writing, the channel has 983,000 subscribers, with its 300+ videos having received more than 232 million views.
Creative Game Marketing Campaigns
A snippet featuring some of Audiencly’s game marketing campaigns
Audiencly got its start from creating ad campaigns for the gaming sector. It has since branched out into lifestyle marketing and now works with brands from different segments. However, staying true to its roots, the agency has crafted some notable game marketing campaigns.
Hunger Heroes
Hosted by GTarcade, Hunger Heroes is a game that doubles as a charity campaign. The goal is to raise awareness for hunger and encourage players to combat the child hunger crisis (achievements are converted into meals). To achieve the game’s goal, Audiencly partnered with 12 influencers to drive a 10% engagement rate and generate over 15 million impressions. In the end, the charity campaign was able to serve 42,000 meals.
Raid Shadow Legends
The campaign for the popular fantasy RPG game Raid Shadow Legends was made in partnership with 60+ creators. Their collective effort yielded significant results for the game, including:
- Getting over 1 million likes
- Generating more than 10 million views
- Driving downloads to over 100,000
FRAG: Pro Shooter
The FRAG: Pro Shooter campaign enlisted the help of more than 35 gaming creators who recorded game integrations. They then published their content on their respective YouTube channels. The campaign’s results include:
- Over 6.5 million views
- 90,000+ comments and more than 470 thousand likes
Audiencly
Influencer marketing means significantly more than sponsoring hilarious videos or glamourous Instagram posts. With Audiencly the right influencer marketing strategy enables companies to reach their target groups in a direct way and retain them sust...
10 - 50
Düsseldorf, London
Best for:
Small Size Brand and creators
Audiencly
Influencer marketing means significantly more than sponsoring hilarious videos or glamourous Instagram posts. With Audiencly the right influencer marketing strategy enables companies to reach their target groups in a direct way and retain them sust...
4. NewGen (formerly Kairos Media)
Kairos Media has both esports team owners and professional players as part of their team. They have worked on projects from non-endemic brand integration into the gaming scheme to full-scale Esports tournament launches with global brands. They are unrivaled in terms of experience, understanding of the industry, and relationships with professional players in the scene.
Awards and Recognition
Kairos Media is part of the Kairos Group, a global media gaming company. The agency was founded by Mike Craddock and Chris Parnell. Known for its social-first approach to campaigns, Kairos Media has bagged several awards over the years. These include:
- NYX MarCom Awards – 2020 Grand Winner for the KFConsole Launch campaign (Marketing Effectiveness – Video Campaign category)
- Global Content Awards – 2023 Winner for the Best Collaborative Content of the Year (with Revolut and the Sidemen)
The agency has also received awards from The Muse Creative Awards, RAR Digital Awards, The Drum Social Buzz Awards, and more.
NewGen awards
Recently Kairos Media was tasked to create awareness for the ‘Mobile Masters’ event in Las Vegas as well as promote Wargaming’s Esports tournament using an influencer marketing strategy. They identified gaming influencers to attend the event and create dedicated content around the ‘Mobile Masters’ competition.
The content reached a sizeable audience resulting in further downloads of the game while strengthening the brand. The campaign resulted in 361,000 YouTube Views, 158,330 Twitter Impressions, and 682,359 Instagram Story Views, all from 18 pieces of content.
Notable Game Marketing Campaigns
Kairos Media has crafted and launched a number of game marketing campaigns. Below are some of their notable projects over the years.
KFC Gaming
NewGen KFConsole campaign results
When KFC announced that it would be launching a brand-new gaming console, the news made waves online. The KFConsole was a novelty. Built by Cooler Master, it was supposed to keep fried chicken warm while allowing users to play games in 4K 240 FPS.
Kairos Media created a custom CGI cinematic launch trailer for the KFConsole, which brought in twice as many views as the launch trailer for the Xbox. The console was also featured in over 2,500 articles globally, including publications like IGN, TechRadar, and more. The agency utilized KFC’s owned social channels to orchestrate the KFConsole’s reveal and launch.
The award-winning campaign generated a lot of hype and awareness, with results like:
- 8.5 million Google searches
- More than 35 million organic impressions
- 4 million + engagements
Blizzard Entertainment
Overwatch 2 campaign
With the release of Overwatch 2 (Season 6), Blizzard Entertainment sought to increase awareness, consideration, and engagement for the game. Another goal was to make it appealing to Gen Z gamers.
Kairos Media’s strategy for this campaign involved taking over or hacking creators’ streams. Creators all over the world were left wondering who orchestrated these takeovers. Kairos enlisted the help of John Cena, casting him as the hero “The Enigma.”
Aside from working with a celebrity, Kairos also leveraged its social-creative, content production, PR strategy, and creator activations services to come up with an effective campaign. This resulted in a trending activation that, in turn:
- Created an engaged community of players
- Connected with all levels of the creator economy
- Achieved over $10 million in earned media value
- Had a 1.43% engagement rate
- Received over 2.5 million total engagements
- Garnered 205 million + total campaign impressions
NewGen (formerly Kairos Media)
NewGen (formerly Kairos Media) is a social-first creative and creator agency that stands at the forefront of culture, creators and community.
1 - 10
London, LA
Best for:
Small and Medium Companies
NewGen (formerly Kairos Media)
NewGen (formerly Kairos Media) is a social-first creative and creator agency that stands at the forefront of culture, creators and community.
5. Cloutboost
Cloutboost, an acclaimed gaming marketing agency, excels in transforming the complexity of influencer marketing into streamlined, impactful campaigns. With a dedicated focus on the gaming sector, Cloutboost leverages a potent combination of data-driven insights and industry expertise to elevate gaming titles to unprecedented levels of visibility and engagement.
Positioned at the forefront of influencer marketing within the gaming industry, Cloutboost has developed a sophisticated approach that integrates influencer partnerships with advanced AI technology. This methodology not only facilitates the selection of influencers from an expansive database of over 500K gaming influencers but also ensures campaigns are precisely targeted and highly effective.
Cloutboost offers comprehensive services, encompassing every facet of influencer marketing, from campaign strategy formulation to the intricate processes of influencer selection, campaign optimization, scaling, and the delivery of detailed analytics and reporting. Their adeptness in navigating the vast influencer landscape, particularly within the gaming niche, has enabled them to forge successful campaigns that resonate deeply with gamers across various platforms.
A standout example of their gaming marketing expertise is demonstrated in the launch campaign for AFK Arena, a mobile game originating from China, looking to make a substantial impact in the U.S. market. Cloutboost’s strategy centered around leveraging gaming influencers to introduce and popularize AFK Arena among U.S. gamers. This approach led to over 15 million views and helped AFK Arena launch on the #13 spot on Google Play and #26 on the Apple Store.
Cloutboost
Cloutboost is a leader in acquisition-focused influencer marketing tailored for video game brands. Led by seasoned veterans in the gaming industry, Cloutboost leverages cutting-edge AI technologies to optimize and scale influencer marketing strategie...
10 - 50
Dallas, San Francisco
Best for:
Medium-sized Companies
Cloutboost
Cloutboost is a leader in acquisition-focused influencer marketing tailored for video game brands. Led by seasoned veterans in the gaming industry, Cloutboost leverages cutting-edge AI technologies to optimize and scale influencer marketing strategie...
6. Upfluence Inc.
Upfluence includes a specialist Esports and gaming marketing agency which can reach millions through Esports and gaming partnerships. Their Esports division offers fully managed Esports & Gaming marketing campaigns. Their team helps brands define the right strategy, find the right Esports influencers, and deliver campaigns from start to finish.
They offer:
- Esports Presentation & Introduction
- Influencer Outreach & Management
- Team Partnerships
- Tournament Sponsorships
Upfluence can use its large database of influencers with advanced search criteria to find the right Esports influencers for your brand.
They accompany teams and organizers of Esports competitions, brands, and broadcasters in setting up relevant marketing and media partnerships. They have more than 850 performed campaigns in the gaming sector to date.
Gaming marketplace Kinguin worked with Upfluence to overhaul the former’s influencer marketing process. With a timeframe of three months, Upfluence’s platform helped Kinguin quickly identify the right influencers on social media platforms. The platform also helped Kinguin grow its ambassador pool by 600%, track conversations, and onboard new ambassadors. All of these resulted in Kinguin’s improved overall performance.
Key Features: Influencer Search & Discovery, Relationship Management, Campaign Management, Third Party Analytics, Automated Recruiting, Influencer Lifecycle Management, Team Collaboration Tools, Content Review, Campaign Reporting, Audience Analysis, E-commerce Tools, Product/Gifting Tools, Payment Processing, Social Listening, Affiliate Management, Affiliate Campaigns,
Channels: Instagram, Youtube, Facebook, Twitch, Tiktok, Twitter, Pinterest, Blogs
7. PocketWhale
PocketWhale is a video game marketing agency, covering mobile, PC, and console gaming. With offices in USA, Germany, France, and Japan, they help you plan and execute your marketing campaigns globally.
Their team designs tailor-made creative assets, including video advertisements and TV commercials. They have a holistic approach to media and operate their marketing campaigns online and offline through PR, influencer marketing, TV advertising, digital advertising, and events.
They work directly with top gaming influencers on YouTube, Twitch, Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat to create exciting and targeted content to capture both new and old audiences.
In terms of events, from designing, creating, and operating a booth during a trade show to managing online and offline Esports tournaments, PocketWhale’s event team has a vast scope of work.
One of their tasks involved game developer, PONOS, who was looking to acquire new male users from 15-25 in North America and Europe for their game, The Battle Cats. Knowing that males 15-25yo predominantly use Snapchat and YouTube as social media, to reach them, PocketWhale ran Snapchat App Install campaigns and partnered with famous YouTube gaming influencers. The campaign resulted in 150,000 installs overall with CPIs below $1 in North America and down to $0.50 in Europe.
8. Kool Things
Kool Things offers gaming and technology professionals full-service marketing. They are a unique PR, marketing, and consulting agency specializing in promoting games and related technologies. They state that their purpose is to help game developers and publishers, hardware suppliers, media outlets, and others operating in this market in every way they can.
They began operation in Central Europe and the CIS region to become a company delivering complex services worldwide.
They offer several services, including:
- Public Relations
- Gaming Marketing
- Digital Marketing
- Influencer Marketing
- Launch Campaigns
- Consulting
- Digital and Live Events
Notable clients from the gaming industry include EA, Blizzard Entertainment, Riot Games, Epic Games, and more.
Kool Things considers themselves to be “geeks and gamers,” who are also PR and marketing professionals with over 15 years of experience in the games industry.
9. Game Marketing Genie
Game Marketing Genie describes itself as the complete business growth, marketing, and creative production house dedicated to the gaming market. They see the essential steps of their process as being:
- Data and analysis
- Data-driven marketing
- Creative production house – where they turn strategy into high-quality marketing collateral
- Performance marketing
- Data-driven tech distribution, using their own in-house omnichannel advertising platform and proprietary algorithms
- Optimization
- Scale
They see four stages of marketing for a game, and offer solutions for all of them:
- User acquisition
- Increasing in-app purchases
- The perfect launch
- Organic growth
The agency has worked with a number of companies to drive results like:
- Increased total app installs (Recyclings Run)
- Increased new player acquisition (Word Crossy)
- Total conversions grew by 64% (Monstrum 2)
10. GameInfluencer
GameInfluencer helps publishers and developers engage and activate audiences worldwide through top influencers. Not just gaming creators but vloggers, streamers, and social media influencers of all fields.
They work with leading international developers, publishers, and influencers. They develop and execute tailored influencer marketing strategies based on a game’s unique DNA and goals. Over the years they’ve worked with thousands of quality influencers.
Gameinfluencer’s direct relationships with content creators, including gaming creators, and influencers specializing in the fields of fashion & beauty, tech, fitness, lifestyle, and more allows their clients to amplify their games and products to a global and highly engaged audience.
GameInfluencer is a full-service influencer marketing agency with a deep focus on the gaming industry. Their in-house team of specialists includes strategists, producers, influencer project managers, designers, developers, digital marketing analysts, and social media experts to support the influencer marketing efforts of video game developers and publishers.
They currently have more than 3.1 million influencers in their database. These people have generated more than 500 million views across all campaigns. The agency has crafted unique campaigns for over 200 clients, including Sega, King, and I Got Games (IGG).
11. NewGen Agency
NewGen Agency is a full-service Esports and digital gaming agency. They create products, services, and communications to grow their clients’ businesses in the new ‘Game Age.’
They split their services into:
- Campaign development
- Content development
- Product & service development
- Sponsorship
- Esports team establishment
- Tournament organization
- Event design & management
- Social media management
- Outdoor and offline media gamification
- Media visibility and engagement
They create campaigns from the ground up to grow their clients’ businesses and reach their marketing goals for Esports and gaming.
12. The Digital Dept.
The Digital Dept. (former Lytehouse) offers brands a full suite of influencer campaign services that convert through smart targeting, analytics, and emotive storytelling. With 10 years in the business, the New York-based digital marketing agency believes in the power of gaming influencer campaigns. Through its sister company Socialyte, this marketing firm has access to over 200 celebrity and lifestyle influencers.
The Digital Dept. recognizes Twitch as the dominant platform for reaching out to the gaming community. However, the firm also believes that brands should adopt an omnichannel amplification strategy. This approach encourages brands to also launch live-streamed events (such as e-sports tournaments) or short and long-form video campaigns via YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and Twitter in partnership with content creators.
The Digital Dept.’s team includes creative producers, casting directors, talent strategists, and brand partnership managers. Their array of services includes:
- Strategy and casting (creative brainstorming, influencer casting, content optimization, in-depth reporting and analytics)
- Influencer relations (outreach, negotiation, contracting, payment processing)
- Full-service content production (including location scouting and permits, content strategy, and creative development)
- Experiential strategy (Experiential design, white-glove event production, event marketing, invitee outreach)
The Digital Dept. also uses SaaS platforms for workflow management, scalable recruitment, social listening, audience analytics, in-depth reporting, and contracting and billing support.
Brands and influencers can partner with The Digital Dept. through its website, which also features marketing advice through its blog, guides, and marketing dictionary.
In 2023, Lytehouse, alongside Socialyte and Be Social, merged to become The Digital Dept. The agency now has a portfolio of 200+ digital talent. This move has also enabled The Digital Dept. to greatly expand its capabilities. You can still access the Lytehouse website.
What Are The Key Strategies in Video Game Marketing?
Video game marketing has evolved significantly with the rise of digital platforms and social media. It now often includes strategies like livestreaming, esports sponsorships, and in-game events. The goal is to create a strong connection between the game and its target audience, driving both initial sales and long-term player engagement.
Effective video game marketing requires a deep understanding of the gaming community, current trends, and the unique selling points of each game. It combines creativity, data-driven strategies, and a multi-channel approach to reach and resonate with diverse gaming audiences. Key aspects of video game marketing include:
Trailers and Teasers: Creating compelling video content to showcase gameplay, graphics, and storylines.
Trailers and teasers are a cornerstone of game marketing, providing a first look at gameplay, graphics, and storylines to generate excitement before launch. When Rockstar Games released the first trailer for GTA VI, it shattered records, amassing over 93 million views within 24 hours.
This unprecedented engagement showcased the power of compelling video content in building hype for one of the most anticipated games. The trailer didn’t just highlight GTA VI’s impressive visuals and gameplay mechanics—it tapped into the massive, dedicated fanbase that has thrived on platforms like YouTube, sparking widespread discussion and community engagement
Social Media Campaigns: Engaging with fans and building communities on platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
A well-executed social media campaign can be a game-changer for promoting video games, allowing companies to engage directly with their audience and build vibrant communities around their titles. Promoting games on platforms like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok enables gaming marketing agencies to create highly targeted campaigns that go beyond traditional gaming audiences, expanding the game's reach.
For example, SEGA worked with GameInfluencer to amplify awareness for Party Central, the sequel of its rhythm action game Samba de Amigo. The agency worked with 10 TikTok influencers from Spain, France, Italy, and Germany. To broaden the game's user base, the influencer selection criteria included other interests like dancing and family life besides gaming.
Influencer Partnerships: Collaborating with popular gamers and content creators to reach wider audiences.
Influencer partnerships are a powerful way to boost visibility and tap into new gaming audiences. By collaborating with popular gamers and creators, gaming brands can create excitement and reach players where they already spend their time.
Meta Quest tapped Viral Nation's expansive influencer network for the launch of Resident Evil 4's (RE4) VR version. The original game won several awards during its 2005 release for PlayStation 2. In 2021, Viral Nation helped Meta Quest build awareness for VR and rekindled interest in the survival horror classic by granting early game access to over 70 top gaming creators and publishers across platforms.
Moreover, Viral Nation gifted 25 influencers, gamers, artists, and celebrities who were major fans or affiliated with "Resident Evil" with Meta Quest 2 and invitations to RE4 VR's launch event.
Event Marketing: Showcasing games at conventions, expos, and tournaments to generate buzz.
Event marketing played a key role in generating buzz for Forza Horizon 5. The game was officially announced at the 2021 Xbox & Bethesda E3 Showcase, one of the largest gaming events globally, where it captivated audiences with a stunning trailer that showcased its open-world setting in Mexico.
The event provided a platform for Playground Games to demonstrate the game's innovative features, such as dynamic weather systems and seamless multiplayer integration. This high-profile reveal at E3 helped build significant anticipation and excitement among fans, driving pre-orders and early access engagement
Digital Advertising: Utilizing targeted ads on search engines, social media, and gaming websites.
A great example of a successful PPC campaign in gaming is the marketing for Clash of Clans. Supercell utilized a humorous and engaging series of video ads featuring characters from the game in funny, relatable situations. These ads were distributed across multiple platforms, including Google Ads, YouTube, and social media.
By focusing on entertainment and storytelling, rather than direct product promotion, Supercell was able to captivate a broad audience, driving massive engagement and game downloads. This campaign is often cited for its creative approach and high return on investment.
Content Marketing: Producing blog posts, articles, and behind-the-scenes content to keep fans engaged.
Content marketing was pivotal in keeping fans engaged during the pre-release of Cyberpunk 2077. CD Projekt Red employed an aggressive digital marketing strategy, including blog posts, articles, and behind-the-scenes content, which helped build immense anticipation for the game.
Despite the initial overhype due to high expectations and a series of delays, CDPR continued to engage its fanbase through regular updates, sneak peeks, and developer interviews. However, when the game’s launch failed to meet expectations, the company pivoted to a redemption strategy, using content marketing to rebuild trust. They focused on blog posts and articles detailing the technical improvements and upcoming DLCs, all of which kept fans informed and re-engaged.
Pre-release Hype: Building anticipation through beta testing, early access, and pre-order bonuses.
Ubisoft generated significant pre-release hype for Watch Dogs: Legion by implementing a multi-faceted marketing campaign. They teased the game with trailers and gameplay demos at major gaming events like E3, revealing unique features such as the "Play as Anyone" mechanic. Ubisoft also created a series of cinematic trailers, hosted live streams, and collaborated with social media influencers to showcase exclusive content.
These efforts were supported by interactive promotions, including a recruitment campaign that encouraged players to join the "Resistance." The combination of strong visuals, influencer engagement, and community-driven campaigns built anticipation and excitement before the game’s release.
Cross-promotions: Partnering with other brands or franchises for collaborative marketing efforts.
Cross-promotions allow gaming brands to collaborate with other companies, expanding their reach and creating unique marketing opportunities. NewGen’s "Heinz Hidden Spots" campaign, for example, teamed up with Kraft Heinz and Activision to promote Call of Duty's new Warzone: Pacific map.
By working with Twitch and YouTube streamers known for playing Call of Duty, they highlighted "hidden spots" in the game where players could safely snack, marking Heinz’s first step into the gaming world.
Community Management: Fostering active player communities and addressing feedback.
For The Sims 4, community management is driven by continuous engagement with players to shape the game's future, often through direct feedback via surveys. One example is a recent official survey conducted in September 2024, where players were asked for their input on potential themes for new Expansion Packs.
EA provided a list of nine possible themes and asked players to rank their preferences, ranging from underwater exploration to retro 80s/90s life.
This approach allows the community to directly influence upcoming content, fostering a strong connection between the developers and the player base. By seeking feedback on features and gameplay, EA ensures that The Sims 4 continues to evolve in ways that resonate with its audience. Surveys like this help keep players engaged while giving them a voice in the development process
Post-launch Support: Continuing marketing efforts after release through updates, DLC, and expansions.
Post-launch support is key to maintaining a game's momentum through continued marketing efforts, such as updates, DLC, and expansions. For example, Razer has entrusted its media and PR relations to KoolThings since 2011, ensuring consistent marketing across its expanding product line. This long-term collaboration allows for a seamless approach in promoting post-launch content and keeping the audience engaged.
Video Game Marketing Tips to Elevate Your Campaigns
The video game market is steadily growing. It’s projected to have a global market size of more than $580 billion by 2030. To help you keep your audiences engaged, consider these tips to enhance your marketing efforts:
- Focus on building a community. Building your community means interacting with users or gamers. This is also a great way to get feedback and suggestions to help you improve your game and provide better experiences. One of the best examples of this is Minecraft, with its very active online community. The game has several features like chat rooms and in-game events that allow users to interact with each other. To create your own vibrant community, make it easier for players to connect with each other. For instance, dedicate resources or channels where players can discuss strategies or exchange ideas. Similar to Minecraft’s strategy, consider giving players resources that will allow them to build custom content.
- Offer incentives. When you’re launching a game, offer incentives or rewards to encourage players to download or purchase your game. Cyberpunk 2077’s release strategy included early bird discounts and access to exclusive content, which helped drum up interest for the game and boost its sales.
- Work within the game’s ecosystem. Collaborate with fans or with content creators who are playing your game. Ask them for reviews to help you improve your game. Give them early access so they can make engaging content that they can share with their audience. If you’re launching a new game, consider making a demo and making it available for players and the press.
- Take inspiration from trends. This doesn’t mean that you have to follow social media trends closely to promote your game. Instead, put your own spin on these trends and make them your own while ensuring that these translate well for the game you’re promoting.
- Work with a diverse range of influencers. As you can see from different NeoReach campaigns, partnering with influencers from various niches or industries allows you to greatly expand your reach. Consider working with creators like comedians or artists to bring your campaigns to life.
- Go beyond popular options. Aside from social media platforms, promote your game on niche gaming websites like Game Informer, GameSpot, or IGN. These sites let you cater to an audience specifically looking for anything game-related, allowing you to get relevant traffic.
- Focus on TikTok gaming. TikTok gaming is quickly becoming the next big thing. 82% of the app’s more than 1 billion users play games at least once a week. While people tended to buy games based on a friend’s recommendations before, people now tend to purchase games endorsed by creators they trust. If you’re planning to use TikTok to bolster your game marketing efforts, focus on making creator-first content. Doing so will allow you to tap into a creator’s highly engaged community, which plays a role in shaping their audience’s purchase decision. Aside from focusing on content creators, take advantage of the platform’s gaming features, which include game-related challenges, live streaming, and gameplay clips.
- Split your campaign into several phases. You must have a pre- and post-launch strategy. Your campaign will have different goals and needs, depending on the phase you’re on. For example, pre-launch campaigns typically focus on building awareness for the game. To equip your campaign for success, you need to come up with activities designed to build awareness and hype. These include creating game teasers and press releases. For the post-launch, you want to focus on gathering data and how to retain players. Analyzing player habits and integrating user feedback allows you to continuously improve your game.
- Utilize user-generated content (UGC). Leveraging UGC helps you drive user acquisition and engagement. For brands, UGC also allows you to build an engaged community. Unity launched Unity UGC, which allows players to create and manage in-game content. Unity UGC also makes player-created content more easily discoverable.
- Know your audience. This almost seems like a given, but knowing your target audience will allow you to tailor your campaigns to suit their specific needs. Do you want to cater to casual gamers, professional gamers, or a niche audience? There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to game marketing. You can’t expect your game to appeal to every type of player, which is why it’s important to develop a strategy that will help you attract and engage your specific target audience.
- Focus on App Store Optimization (ASO). ASO helps improve your game’s visibility and ranking on app stores like Google Play (Android) or App Store (Apple). Some of the things you can optimize to help your title stand out include its title and description. Using strategic keywords also helps draw in potential users.
Frequently Asked Questions
What other resources can help me get started with video game marketing?
We’ve researched and tested different tools, platforms, and agencies to help you find the best solution for your project. They’re identified in our guides and listicles below:
- Top Gaming Influencer Marketing Platforms
- 16 Twitch Influencer Marketing Platforms to Help Find the Right Twitch Streamers
- Top 10 Influencer Marketing Platforms for Twitch [Discover Influential Streamers]
- Top 10 Mobile Video Editing Apps for Small-Business Owners
- The Best Gaming Talent Management Agencies
- Top Gambling Marketing Agencies
- Top 9 Gaming Influencer Agencies to Supercharge Your Strategy
- Top 10 Metaverse Marketing Agencies
What is gaming marketing?
Game or gaming marketing uses strategies such as influencer marketing, eSports events sponsorships, and SEO to help mobile and video games stand out and succeed. Brands can also use gaming marketing to promote their products or services in games or through influencers.
Who can help with my game advertising?
As we have seen in this article, if you don’t market your games well, it is easy for them to disappear and get lost in the crowd. Gaming marketing agencies can perform an invaluable service. All of the gaming marketing agencies we have looked at in this post can help your game advertising:
- Viral Nation
- NeoReach
- The Goat Agency
- Audiencly
- Kairos Media
- Cloutboost
- Upfluence Inc.
- PocketWhale
- Kool Things
- Game Marketing Genie
- GameInfluencer
- NewGen Agency
- The Digital Dept.
What are the best agencies for gaming marketing?
Based on our analysis, the best gaming marketing agencies are:
| Agency | Free Trial | Best For | Supported Channels | |
| Viral Nation | No | Enterprise companies and large brands | Blog, Discord, Facebook, Google, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest,Reddit, Snapchat, TikTok, Twitch, X, YouTube, YouTube Advertising | |
| NeoReach | No | Large companies | Blog, Discord, Facebook, Google, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Reddit, Snapchat, Telegram, TikTok, Twitch, X, YouTube | |
| The Goat Agency | No | Medium and large brands | Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Reddit, Snapchat, TikTok, Twitch, X, YouTube, YouTube Advertising | |
| Kairos Media | No | Small and medium companies | Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitch, X, YouTube | |
| Audiencly | No | Small-sized brands | Instagram, TikTok, Twitch, YouTube | |
| Cloutboost | No, but does offer free consultation | Medium-sized companies | Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitch, YouTube | |
| Upfluence Inc. | No | eCommerce businesses of all sizes | Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, Twitch, TikTok, X, blogs |
What services do the top gaming marketing agencies offer?
| Agency | Strategy | Influencer Campaign Management | Content production | Compliance and Fraud Prevention | Paid Media | Business Intelligence | Social Commerce | Affiliate/ ambassador program | Community Management | Retargeting | PR Management | Outdoor advertising | Experience Marketing/ eSports & tournament sponsorships |
| Viral Nation | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | X | X | X | ✔ |
| NeoReach | ✔ | ✔ | X | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | X | X | X | ✔ | |
| The Goat Agency | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | X | X | X | X | X |
| Kairos Media | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | X | X | ✔ | ✔ | X | X | X | X | ✔ | X |
| Audiencly | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | X | ✔ | ✔ | X | X | ✔ | X | X | X | ✔ |
| Cloutboost | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | X | ✔ | X | X | X | X | ✔ | ✔ | X | X |
| Upfluence Inc. | X | ✔ | X | ✔ | X | X | ✔ | ✔ | X | X | X | X | X |
Which companies or brands did the best game marketing agencies work with?
The agencies on this list have worked with some of the world’s biggest brands that operate across various industries. The table below gives you an overview of their partnerships, some of which include gaming companies and specific games:
| Agency | Games or Companies They’ve Worked With |
| Viral Nation | Ubisoft, Activision Blizzard, MetaQuest, Golden Globe Awards, Chegg, Uber, Logitech |
| NeoReach | NVIDIA, FanDuel, DraftKings, Netflix, World of Tanks, TikTok |
| The Goat Agency | Dell, Saint’s Row, Tesco, Arla |
| Kairos Media | Blizzard Entertainment, Samsung, Epic Games, Rovio, Rocket League, Quantic Dream, 505 Games |
| Audiencly | Socialpoint, Gaijin Entertainment, Rogue Company, Raid Shadow Legends, Cooking Fever, Bloodline |
| Cloutboost | Rovio, Asterigos: Curse of the Stars, Warhammer 40K, Dungeon Fighter Online, Darkfire Heroes, AFK Arena, |
| Upfluence Inc. | Universal, KEEN Footwear, Micro Center, Kinguin |
What special tools or solutions do the best gaming marketing agencies offer?
These agencies offer an array of tools and solutions designed to take your gaming marketing efforts further. Some agencies even have proprietary tools and technologies for gaming marketing.
| Agency | Tools/Solutions | Key Features/Capabilities |
| Viral Nation | Viral Nation CreatorOS, Viral Nation Secure | Creator Management, Multi-Platform Analytics, Brand Safety Verification |
| NeoReach | Proprietary influencer marketing software, Fraud Detection and Reporting | Search and Analyze Influencers, Workflow Automation, Tracking and Reporting |
| The Goat Agency | Amazon Ad Suite | Influencer-led Shoppable Content |
| Kairos Media | KLabs, Versus | Data and Insights Service, Custom Tournament Management with Customizable Interface |
| Audiencly | Works with a network of service providers to offer a wider range of services: fanblast, Calivision Network, Flexion, liteup, and i&u TV | Livestream Interaction, Mobile App Distribution, Influencer Shows, TikTok CPI Campaigns, Larger TV Format Productions |
| Cloutboost | AI-Powered Portal | Influencer Discovery and Selection, Campaign Management, Advanced Reports and Analytics |
| Upfluence | Upfluence Platform | Campaign Analytics, Influencer Search and Analysis, Workflow and Outreach, Payments |
How can I promote my game?
Any of the gaming marketing agencies we have covered in this post could successfully help you promote your game. If you lack the budget to work with a professional gaming marketing agency, there are various things you can do yourself to promote your game, such as using social media, creating a website devoted to the game, creating teaser shots and behind-the-scenes videos during the development phase, and hiring a booth at Cons.
What is the objective of in-game advertising?
In-game advertising helps brands communicate with their target market, building familiarity with those who play these games. Game graphics are so good now, that in-game ads can look natural. For example, if you’re playing a sports game, you might see billboards in the game, promoting a product that looks like a miniature version of billboards in a real stadium. Like all online ads, the objective of in-game advertising might be to increase brand recognition, promote a service, or increase a product’s sales.
How do I advertise my app?
If your app is a game, you could choose to work with one of the gaming marketing agencies covered in this article. Otherwise, you could undertake much of the promotion yourself. Promotion methods could include:
- Creating a website for your app
- Setting up social accounts for your app, using both organic and paid promotion
- Working with the media and doing public relations
- Ensure you have used app store optimization (ASO) to improve your app’s chances in app searches
- Employ influencers to promote your app
What channels do gaming marketing agencies use to promote games?
Gaming marketing firms typically promote games on the following social channels:
- Twitch
- YouTube
- Discord
- TikTok
How do agencies handle influencer marketing for games?
Agencies first clarify objectives and identify the right strategy and campaign, such as teasers, closed beta testing, or pre-order bonuses. They also seek to understand the profile of your target gamers to match them with suitable influencers.
The next step is selecting your influencers, ensuring that they fit your requirements: games played, the platform used, the content type created, and followers' demographics. Agencies will also ideally check the reputation and sponsorship history of these personalities to avoid any conflicts of interest and controversies down the road.
After influencer selection, agencies coordinate with influencers to create content aligned with your brand's values and guidelines from SEO to app store optimization. The agency gets your approval on the content and then schedules their activation—from pre-recorded/live streams and video ads to event marketing and social commerce.
Performance tracking and reporting start once the campaign is up and running. Your agency rep will discuss insights with you to optimize future content and promote long-term participation.
